As with many wars and conflicts, the Gaza Conflict has extended beyond those directly affected and now involves a number of other countries and international bodies. The international impact of the Gaza conflict is evident in two main ways. Firstly, a number of countries not only in the region but worldwide have taken the role of acting as mediators in diplomatic negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis; with the aim of ending the conflict and bringing stability to the Middle East Region. Many nations have chosen to bilaterally support one party over another, which is often illustrated through the distributions of funds and statements which support Israel or Palestine in the conflict. (For a discussion on individual countries, particularly the United States, Turkey and Egypt’s diplomatic efforts please see‘The Role of Diplomacy in the Process’.) The second, and perhaps greatest international impact of the Gaza Conflict, has been the efforts and actions exhibited by international bodies and organizations such as the European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN).
The International Impact on Countries as United Groups
The effect the Gaza Conflict has had upon international bodies such as the EU and to a larger extent the UN is greater than that experienced by nations individually. Both organisations hold the similar view that the conflict between Israel and Palestine must end in order to create peace in the region and end the killing of innocent civilians in the Gaza region. The UN has invested a large amount of time and effort in an effort to end the conflict in the Gaza region, as demonstrated recently by the Goldstone Report and the following Resolution of 2009. The EU has implemented similar policies condemning the violence on both sides whilst trying to promote stability in the region.
A meeting of the European Union being conducted
The European Union:
The European Union has sought to exercise its growing power and influence in international relations through the condemnation of the atrocities committed in Gaza in the hope that peace and stability can be achieved in the region. The EU has employed soft power tactics as its primary tool as it seeks to utilise diplomacy based negotiation through the use of trade, aid and peace-keeping missions.[1] The EU is strongly believes ‘prompt and concrete measures’ [2] must be taken in order to stop the violence and establish reconstruction and economic stability in the region. In order to achieve this aim, the EU has called for the opening of crossings and the ‘flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza.’ [3]
The United Nations:
The UN shares similar aims to the EU, demonstrating that the impact of the Gaza Conflict is far reaching. Like the EU, the UN has espoused various soft power tactics such as resolutions and reports that both highlight the atrocities taking place whilst seeking to bring peace to the region. The two most prominent reports are the 'Goldstone Report' and 'Follow Up Report.'
The Goldstone Report: Former South African Constitutional Court Justice Richard J. Goldstone was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Commission in April 2009 to lead an ‘independent’, ‘fact finding mission’ in order to ‘investigate international human rights and humanitarian law violations related to recent conflicts in the Gaza Strip’.[4] The 575 page report was released by the Human Rights Commissions on the 15th of September 2009 under the official title of ‘Human Rights in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories: Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’. [5]Goldstone and his team of four other people gathered information for the report from visits to the Gaza Strip where they interviewed a variety of sources, studied videos, photographs and medical reports and conducted public hearings. [6]During these visits the Palestinian Authority and Senior Hamas members were supportive and cooperative of the project and its aims, whereas the Israelis refused to cooperate. [7]The report covered the main aspects of the Gaza situation including Operation Cast Lead, international law and human rights violations, the effects upon civilians and the destruction caused to infrastructure in Gaza along with many other important and defining aspects of the conflict.[8] (See discussion on‘The Gaza Situation').
The findings of the Goldstone report were that Israel violated international and human rights law in the Gaza conflict and committed actions ‘amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity’. [9]The Israeli government had made efforts in the past to present its actions as a response to Palestinian rocket attacks in the name of self defence, regardless of this justification the Goldstone report found that the attacks were ‘directed at the people of Gaza as a whole’.[10] The report further went on to describe the fact that Israel had failed to distinguish between ‘combatants and non military targets and civilians and non military ones’ and in failing to do so had caused a large amount of damage and loss of life.[11]
In light of these findings, the Goldstone Report asked the United Nations Security Council to establish an ‘expert independent body’ to oversee future investigations into the Gaza conflict and the prosecution process related to the findings. [12]The report also suggested that this independent body refer the matter to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor should Israel continue in its violent and inhumane ways in the Gaza Strip.[13]
The Goldstone report demonstrates the impact the Gaza conflict has had upon the United Nations as an international body due to the fact that the Human Rights Commission felt it necessary to research further into the conflict and prepare this report in order to bring the Palestinians and Israelis to justice. Although the report and its findings conclude that human rights and international law has been breached and the Israelis need to be held accountable for their action in the Gaza conflict, rather than calling explicitly for an end to the conflict, the follow up report by the Secretary General of the United Nations was the catalyst for a new resolution which seeks to end the conflict once and for all.
The UN Human Rights Council discuss the Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict on the 29th of September 2009.
The presenation is made by the head of the Mission, Richard Goldstone.
The Follow-up Report and United Nations Resolution
The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon submitted the ‘Follow-up Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’ to the General Assembly in order for them to create the Resolution 64/10 on the 5th of November 2009.[14] The resolution based upon Ban Ki-moon’s report required that the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations, the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations provide written documentation by the end of January 2010 concerning steps that had been taken or were in the process of being taken regarding the Goldstone Report.[15] The 64/10 resolution was to encourage the governments of Israel and Palestine, under the guidance of Switzerland as per the Geneva Convention to work towards achieving the aims set out by the Goldstone Report in order to bring peace and stability to the Gaza region and an end to the fighting.[16] This goal was to be achieved through Palestine and Israel undertaking ‘independent, credible investigations’ into the breaches of humanitarian and human rights law committed in the Gaza conflict.[17] This resolution aims to end the unnecessary and inhumane killing of civilians in Gaza through Palestine and Israel going to trial and seeing that the atrocities they have committed are not acceptable. It is hoped that from this realisation and through the process of being brought to trial, peace and stability can be brought to the Gaza region..
^ ‘Declaration by the Presidency on Behalf of the European Union on the Humanitarian Situation in Gaza’, www.consilium.europa. eu /uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/.../111252.pdf, 18 November 2009 (Accessed 20 April 2010)
^ ‘Declaration by the Presidency on Behalf of the European Union on the Humanitarian Situation in Gaza’, www.consilium.europa. eu /uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/.../111252.pdf, 18 November 2009 (Accessed 20 April 2010)
The International Impact of the Gaza Conflict
As with many wars and conflicts, the Gaza Conflict has extended beyond those directly affected and now involves a number of other countries and international bodies. The international impact of the Gaza conflict is evident in two main ways. Firstly, a number of countries not only in the region but worldwide have taken the role of acting as mediators in diplomatic negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis; with the aim of ending the conflict and bringing stability to the Middle East Region. Many nations have chosen to bilaterally support one party over another, which is often illustrated through the distributions of funds and statements which support Israel or Palestine in the conflict. (For a discussion on individual countries, particularly the United States, Turkey and Egypt’s diplomatic efforts please see ‘The Role of Diplomacy in the Process’.) The second, and perhaps greatest international impact of the Gaza Conflict, has been the efforts and actions exhibited by international bodies and organizations such as the European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN).
The International Impact on Countries as United Groups
The effect the Gaza Conflict has had upon international bodies such as the EU and to a larger extent the UN is greater than that experienced by nations individually. Both organisations hold the similar view that the conflict between Israel and Palestine must end in order to create peace in the region and end the killing of innocent civilians in the Gaza region. The UN has invested a large amount of time and effort in an effort to end the conflict in the Gaza region, as demonstrated recently by the Goldstone Report and the following Resolution of 2009. The EU has implemented similar policies condemning the violence on both sides whilst trying to promote stability in the region.The European Union:
The European Union has sought to exercise its growing power and influence in international relations through the condemnation of the atrocities committed in Gaza in the hope that peace and stability can be achieved in the region. The EU has employed soft power tactics as its primary tool as it seeks to utilise diplomacy based negotiation through the use of trade, aid and peace-keeping missions.[1] The EU is strongly believes ‘prompt and concrete measures’ [2] must be taken in order to stop the violence and establish reconstruction and economic stability in the region. In order to achieve this aim, the EU has called for the opening of crossings and the ‘flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza.’ [3]The United Nations:
The UN shares similar aims to the EU, demonstrating that the impact of the Gaza Conflict is far reaching. Like the EU, the UN has espoused various soft power tactics such as resolutions and reports that both highlight the atrocities taking place whilst seeking to bring peace to the region. The two most prominent reports are the 'Goldstone Report' and 'Follow Up Report.'
The Goldstone Report:
Former South African Constitutional Court Justice Richard J. Goldstone was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Commission in April 2009 to lead an ‘independent’, ‘fact finding mission’ in order to ‘investigate international human rights and humanitarian law violations related to recent conflicts in the Gaza Strip’.[4] The 575 page report was released by the Human Rights Commissions on the 15th of September 2009 under the official title of ‘Human Rights in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories: Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’. [5]Goldstone and his team of four other people gathered information for the report from visits to the Gaza Strip where they interviewed a variety of sources, studied videos, photographs and medical reports and conducted public hearings. [6]During these visits the Palestinian Authority and Senior Hamas members were supportive and cooperative of the project and its aims, whereas the Israelis refused to cooperate. [7]The report covered the main aspects of the Gaza situation including Operation Cast Lead, international law and human rights violations, the effects upon civilians and the destruction caused to infrastructure in Gaza along with many other important and defining aspects of the conflict.[8] (See discussion on ‘The Gaza Situation').
The findings of the Goldstone report were that Israel violated international and human rights law in the Gaza conflict and committed actions ‘amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity’. [9]The Israeli government had made efforts in the past to present its actions as a response to Palestinian rocket attacks in the name of self defence, regardless of this justification the Goldstone report found that the attacks were ‘directed at the people of Gaza as a whole’.[10] The report further went on to describe the fact that Israel had failed to distinguish between ‘combatants and non military targets and civilians and non military ones’ and in failing to do so had caused a large amount of damage and loss of life.[11]
In light of these findings, the Goldstone Report asked the United Nations Security Council to establish an ‘expert independent body’ to oversee future investigations into the Gaza conflict and the prosecution process related to the findings. [12]The report also suggested that this independent body refer the matter to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor should Israel continue in its violent and inhumane ways in the Gaza Strip.[13]
The Goldstone report demonstrates the impact the Gaza conflict has had upon the United Nations as an international body due to the fact that the Human Rights Commission felt it necessary to research further into the conflict and prepare this report in order to bring the Palestinians and Israelis to justice. Although the report and its findings conclude that human rights and international law has been breached and the Israelis need to be held accountable for their action in the Gaza conflict, rather than calling explicitly for an end to the conflict, the follow up report by the Secretary General of the United Nations was the catalyst for a new resolution which seeks to end the conflict once and for all.
The UN Human Rights Council discuss the Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict on the 29th of September 2009.
The presenation is made by the head of the Mission, Richard Goldstone.
The Follow-up Report and United Nations Resolution
The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon submitted the ‘Follow-up Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’ to the General Assembly in order for them to create the Resolution 64/10 on the 5th of November 2009.[14] The resolution based upon Ban Ki-moon’s report required that the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations, the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations provide written documentation by the end of January 2010 concerning steps that had been taken or were in the process of being taken regarding the Goldstone Report.[15] The 64/10 resolution was to encourage the governments of Israel and Palestine, under the guidance of Switzerland as per the Geneva Convention to work towards achieving the aims set out by the Goldstone Report in order to bring peace and stability to the Gaza region and an end to the fighting.[16] This goal was to be achieved through Palestine and Israel undertaking ‘independent, credible investigations’ into the breaches of humanitarian and human rights law committed in the Gaza conflict.[17] This resolution aims to end the unnecessary and inhumane killing of civilians in Gaza through Palestine and Israel going to trial and seeing that the atrocities they have committed are not acceptable. It is hoped that from this realisation and through the process of being brought to trial, peace and stability can be brought to the Gaza region..
- ^ ‘Foreign and Security Policy’, http://europa.eu/pol/cfsp/index_en.htm , (Accessed 19 April 2010)
- ^ ‘Declaration by the Presidency on Behalf of the European Union on the Humanitarian Situation in Gaza’, www.consilium.europa. eu /uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/.../111252.pdf, 18 November 2009 (Accessed 20 April 2010)
- ^ ‘Declaration by the Presidency on Behalf of the European Union on the Humanitarian Situation in Gaza’, www.consilium.europa. eu /uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/.../111252.pdf, 18 November 2009 (Accessed 20 April 2010)
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions’, http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?comtext=va&aid=15317, 21st September 2009 (Accessed 18 April 2009)
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions’
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions’
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions’
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions’
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions’
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions’
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions’
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions’
Stephen Lendman, ‘Gladstone Commission Gaza Conflict Findings and Reactions'